Isabelle Faust with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks conducted by Jakub Hrusa give a truly magnificent performance of Benjamin Britten's violin concerto (first-class live recording from 2021). In this concerto, the orchestra is almost on an equal footing to the soloist; it really is a concerto for violin and orchestra. The work has had a chequered history since 1938, mainly ignored until recently when performances have really burst into bloom. My shelves now hold 23 recordings of the work; I rarely give three stars to a recording, but my 23 Britten concerto recordings show a record ten three-stars out of 23! Isabelle Faust, Kerson Leong, Augustin Hadelich, James Ehnes, Baiba Skride, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Simone Lamsma, Vilde Frang, Arabella Steinbacher are among the 3-star winners. An extraordinary turnaround for a recently rarely heard work that is now among my favourites of all violin concertos.
Not that I am a fan of Britten's music in general. In my younger years I dutifully enjoyed two orchestral serenades with tenor, the War Requiem, and the opera Peter Grimes; but my enthusiasm faded with time. Faust fills her CD with bits and pieces Britten wrote for violin and piano; all instantly forgettable, except maybe the concert study for violin and piano "Reveille".
I cannot recall off-hand all 23 recordings I have of the work, let alone the 9-10 three-stars. Ida Haendel is the only "oldie" to feature in my collection (1977). Whenever I want to re-listen to the concerto, it is probably Ms Faust who will come off the shelf because of the truly excellent combination of violin playing, orchestral contribution, sensitive conducting, and a well-balanced recording. Stars all round.
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